Over the course of his career, G.O has been fortunate to collaborate with other artists which has not only yielded some pretty fantastic music, but also secured his reputation in the business as a skilled and talented artist with an incredible work ethic. I am certain he also has learned so much in the wake of those collaborations. On this 78th day of G.O’s service I am rotating in The Heavenly Collaborations, and will start with his wondrous collaboration with Yiruma.
In a November 12, 2013 Naver Starcast, G.O and Yiruma sat down to interview each other and to discuss the evolution of their collaboration which resulted in G.O releasing his second solo digital single Play That Song. Play That Song was written, composed and arranged by Yiruma and 2Face.
G.O is so sweet and humble…seriously. In the interview, he asked Yiruma why with all of the idols out there, did he choose to give him a song? Yiruma candidly answered:
I have always wanted to work with an idol singer. Plus, I hoped that young people would listen to my music. In fact, there is a prejudice that I do only serious music. Then, I accidentally saw ‘MBLAQ’ perform on stage. I thought that MBLAQ was underestimated due to the fact that they were idol singers. Particularly, I heard a lot about you from many people in the music world. It was then when ‘J.Tune Camp’ asked me to write a song for you and I did not hesitate to accept the request.
Initially, Yiruma wrote an upbeat song for G.O to sing, a song that perhaps would have climbed the charts. Yiruma’s first thought was that an idol singer would want to see his song do well in the charts. But I think that Yiruma found a kindred spirit in G.O when it comes to music and although he may be a neo-classical pianist and composer, and G.O an idol from the world of Kpop (even though I like to think of G.O as more of a neo-soul artist than pop), the two men share a similar knowledge of music. It is not all about the charts, it is about making good, meaningful music.
Ultimately, Yiruma’s assessment made him conclude that the soft and soulful retro-style of Play That Song would suit G.O best. He was correct. Furthermore, it was indeed an honor having Miles Showell of the famed Abbey Road Studios be the mastering engineer on the song. THAT is pretty awesome and a testament to G.O’s ability to attract the best in the business to collaborate with.
The one thing that stood out most for me from Yiruma and G.O’s little question/answer session was Yiruma’s question to G.O asking him what kind of singer he wanted to be, and G.O’s subsequent (and perfect) answer:
Yiruma: A simple question. What kind of singer do you want to be?
G.O: . . . I want to be a singer who sings with a heart not with a head.
Mission accomplished, Byung Hee….mission so very much accomplished. Here is the wonderful end product:
I love this collaboration so very much and would love to see G.O work with Yiruma again. G.O’s voice accompanied by piano is like putting two of the finest musical instruments together and hearing the heavens open.
Sigh . . . so amazingly beautiful, humble and talented is this man.
~♥~
I do have to admit from the first time I heard G.O. sing this song, it made my heart flutter… LOL